


Warm Coffee, Cold Personalities

by ErisMornIsBae



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 19:22:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20587745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErisMornIsBae/pseuds/ErisMornIsBae
Summary: Kara is cold, tired, and regrets picking classes that end after ten. Alex is not a fan of the holidays, and generally just a cute troublemaker.





	Warm Coffee, Cold Personalities

**Author's Note:**

> One of two test fics. Just trying to see how people feel about my writing and which way they prefer. This is more structured and broken up for dialogue, and will have less paragraphs in favor of more single lines. 
> 
> Additionally, this was written, edited, and posted by me; on my phone. If there are formatting or grammatical problems then just let me know.

Kara Zorel, art major and coffee connoisseur, had never once believed in love at first sight. The entire concept made no sense to her. Half the fun of love was the steady build of feelings, so why would anyone want to just skip all that? Regardless of her past feelings, she was pretty sure that she had just experienced it.   
  
From across the street, her beautiful glow and warmth had beckoned the blonde artist. She was Kara's muse. Her greatest love. Just the sight of her radiance made Kara's mouth water and her heart race. With an unlady like moan, she all but tore the handle off the door; stepping out of the bitter wind and into the warmth.   
  
Never had a coffee shop been more magnificent.   
  
She was glad to have discovered it, but not necessarily glad that she found it. Her walk home was muscle memory by now, thirteen minutes of routine and order. To stumble into a new coffee shop? It could only mean that the "shortcut" Winn had told her about only got her lost. Her fist would be having words with the short would-be computer engineer.   
  
Now out of the single digit weather, she took a minute to properly scan the building. It had been the only light in a see of dark white and gray; and she'd gladly have stepped in regardless of what it contained. She had a feeling that opium, gangs, or hungry wolves would be better than freezing outside.   
  
Thankfully, it appeared to be a normal coffee shop. With a completely regular twenty something woman laying on the back counter. The brunette, whose back was turned to her, had yet to acknowledge her presence. Gingerly, Kara stepped up to the counter on her toes, careful not to wake the sleeping woman.  
  
"Psst." Kara whispered to her. "Hello?"   
  
The only movement from the woman was the slow breathing that proved she had not frozen to death.   
  
_ Thank Rao._ Kara thought._ I do not want to be trapped in a room with a dead body._ She glanced over her shoulder at the pitch black windows. The snow was coming down harder somehow, and there was no sign of sunlight. Odds were, she'd be staying here until it cleared up a bit.   
  
Turning back to the woman, she sighed as she went over her options. Her eyes traced the tops of the counters and tables, looking for something that might serve as a nonlethal projectile. _Bingo_. She waded up a set of napkins left on the pickup counter, and walked back to the register. With zero windup, she chucked the small brown ball of paper; and completely missed the sleeping woman.   
  
"Fuck." She whispered to herself, lightly bringing her fist down on the counter.   
  
Kara nearly had a heart attack as the other woman shot awake. Somehow, the barista went from laying on her right side, to on the floor with her head and feet swapping places. Kara shot back from the counter, both hands cupping her face.   
  
_Rao, I just killed her. All this work finding a live barista, and I killed her._   
  
She could feel her panic building as she stared at the lip of the cheap gray plywood counter. Her fear dissipated as the woman's hand curled around the edge of her makeshift bed. Slowly, she pulled herself up onto stiff legs and unsteady feet. With an exhausted groan, she brought both arms above her head; and stretched as high as she could. Kara winced at the many pops that radiated from her back.   
  
The barista, whose nametag read Alex, turned to face her with a slight look of annoyance.   
  
"We're closed." She muttered through a graceless yawn.   
  
Her hand came up to rub the right side of he jaw as Kara sputtered. The look was ridiculous. Her blonde hair was a mess, what little of her face that could be seen was bright red, and now she was shifting on her feet as she tried to speak. It was pretty sad to witness.   
  
"But...you...you're sign... and the lights....how?" She finally managed to stammer, her confusion giving way to anger.  
  
It took Alex a second to realize _that_ was her question. With an annoyed sigh, she stepped up to the register, slid her butt onto the counter; and swung her legs up to cross them before her. The little space between the display case on her right and the register on her left was barely enough for her to sit in; and Kara couldn't help but stare at the woman's muscular legs.   
  
"I fell asleep." Alex shot back, as if that made any sense to the artist. "Ugh...I was going to take a nap until that," she pointed at the blanket of white outside. "Decided to ease up a bit. I guess I missed my alarm."   
  
"Then why did you leave the lights on?" Kara asked desperately. She was beginning to get more than a little confused by the woman before her.   
  
With a shrug, Alex reached into the display case on her right; and retrieved a donut. "We were open when I laid down."   
  
Kara couldn't believe it. This had go be the most exasperating and weirdest woman on the planet. Falling asleep on a cold counter, with bright lights shining down on her, and the doors unlocked? She was a psychopath. Or really stupid.   
  
"Fine, well... I'm not leaving." Kara said. She turned and power walked over to the nearest table, sitting down with a defiant cross of her arms. She began the slow process of removing her scarf, then heavy coat, and then her jacket, hat, and gloves.  
  
"...And I am calling the police." Alex replied nonchalantly, her phone already in her hand.  
  
Kara felt her heart begin to pound, and she was a moment from standing up and begging, when the brunette froze.   
  
"Damnit." Alex muttered, dropping her phone onto the counter between her legs. "You can stay until five. Then you are gone, got it?"   
  
Kara nearly hugged the woman, but settled on a relieved thanks instead. The two women fell silent for a moment, Kara staring intently at Alex; and Alex doing her best to avoid acknowledging her. She brought the cold glazed donut up to her mouth, pausing as she noticed the blonde was still watching her. Her blue eyes, though beautiful, were starting to unnerve her.   
  
"Stop doing that."   
  
Kara made a knowing face at her, and continued to stare.   
  
"Hey, I mean that." Alex leveled a finger at the weird blonde woman. "Don't make me change my mind!" She threatened.  
  
Kara let out an annoyed sigh as she stood up, stepping up to the counter. Alex leaned back a bit, bringing her donut closer to her chest; and her hand to cover her phone. Kara stared for a moment, looking the woman up and down in silence.   
  
"Aren't you going to take my order?"  
  
Alex stared at the woman incredulously. _The fucking gall._   
  
"No!" She practically shouted back.   
  
Kara's head tilted to the left, and her eye brows raised slightly.   
  
"We aren't open. You're lucky I'm letting you stay here, I could get fired." Alex said through the last mouthful of pastry.   
  
When Kara made no effort to move, Alex let out an ugly groan. With a wave of her hands, she brought her legs forward. Kara stepped back to give the barista room, and watched as the woman's muscular legs hung of the counter.   
  
_Rao, those are tight pants._ She thought, admiring the way the fabric clung to the brunettes calves and thighs. A glimmer between her legs caught Kara's eye, and she raised her hand to stop the other woman. The warning was barely forming on her lips when Alex pushed off from her perch.   
  
With a loud crack, the brunettes phone shot off onto the floor; and seperated into several pieces. Alex's head leaned back, and she brought her hand up to rub her eyes as Kara picked up her ruined phone. The blonde woman winced as she looked at the screen.   
  
Spider webs covered the once smooth glass, and the sim card had been summarily ejected from it's normal housing. Kara offered the broken electronic back to its owner, as the barista glared even harder at her.   
  
"Sorry..." Kara's voice was small, and trailed off as Alex turned to walk behind the counter.  
  
The phone made a loud thud as Alex dropped it into the garbage.   
  
"Hi, welcome to the DEO, how can I help you?" Alex's voice was full of mock civility and annoyance as she gave Kara a fake smile.   
  
"Whatevers easiest..." Kara's voice got smaller with every second that Alex glared at her.   
  
"Alright, that'll be eighteen dollars."   
  
Kara's eyebrows raised at that. Surely she had misheard.  
  
"Seriously? I said easiest, not... grow and hand...brew?" The strong indignance in her voice faded as she spoke.   
  
She was pretty far from an expert on coffee; and her lack of knowledge didn't help her argument. It was Alex's turn to raise an eyebrow, and for a second Kara thought she saw a faint smile.  
  
"Well, its five-forty for the coffee, six-sixty to stay here after hours, and six dollars for my 'new phone fund'." The annoyance in her voice had eased somewhat, and it was starting to sound more like taunting. "Congrats! You're the first person to contribute. If you donate another six dollars, you get a free hat!"  
  
Kara rolled her eyes at the joke, before leveling the clear blue orbs at the barista.   
  
"Really? First off I didn't break your phone, and what is the big deal?" Kara crossed her arms defensively as she stared down the brunette. "It wasn't even a decent phone."  
  
Alex's eyes narrowed at that. Her phone was old, sure, and they were probably eight or nine generations ahead of hers by now; but she liked that phone. It was her phone. The first she'd bought with her own money.  
  
She turned away from the counter and went back to prepare the woman's beverage, ignoring the huff that the blonde let out. When she heard footsteps, she glanced back over she shoulder. A twenty dollar bill was sitting in the middle of the counter, and the former owner was looking at the empty street outside.  
  
A few minutes later, Alex was putting the lid on the hot cup of coffee. She brought it over to the counter, but stopped short of calling out to Kara. A grin spread across her face as she reached for the marker behind the register.  
  
"Um, ma'am? Your drink is ready." Kara turned around in her seat, standing up to to fetch her purchase.   
  
Alex, who had returned to sit on her previous perch, stifled her laughter as the blonde woman walked back to her seat. She waited, watching from atop the back counter. It took Kara all of thirty seconds to see the words "rich snob" written where her name should be.   
  
"Hey!" She shouted at Alex, turning to shoot the chuckling brunette a glare. _Two can play at this game._  
  
She reached into her backpack, pulling out some of the supplies she used when out of her apartment. It wasn't much, but it let her get some work done; and relax when she couldn't be at her easel. The thin black marker made a satisfying pop as she uncapped it, turning to hide the brown cardboard cup.   
  
With a triumphant smile, she turned back to Alex; proudly displaying the cups knew title. Her smug grin fell off her face as Alex burst out laughing. Kara glared harder than before for several seconds, watching as Alex wiped a tear from her eye.   
  
"You do... realize... _that's where you're name goes!_" She asked, before cackling even harder.   
  
Kara turned back to the window, setting down her cup with the name side facing outwards. Still, the edges of her large writing could be seen on the sides of the cup. The barista couldn't help laughing as she saw the edges of the word "asshole" on the cup.   
  
Even as Alex's laughter started to die down, she was already feeling a little sorry for the poor girl. With a low sigh, she swung her legs of the counter and started walking over to the other girl.   
  
"Hey." She called out. "Come on, I was just teasing you."   
  
When Kara didn't acknowledge her, she felt her shoulders droop a little further.   
  
"I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean to upset you." She said, slowly closing in on the other woman.  
  
Kara shook her head as Alex walked around her, dropping into the seat across from her. The barista did seem to be sorry, or at least she looked that way. Still, Kara wasn't a fan of being teased.  
  
"I'm fine, ok? I've gotten pretty good at not letting bullies get under my skin." She shot back with a hint of venom. "Besides, you don't care. You're rude and now you don't want to feel guilty. It has nothing to do with my feelings."  
  
Alex wanted to kick herself. She couldn't remember ever bullying someone, but she was nearly at her wits end. Adding in the lack of sleep, the new phone she'd have to buy, and the general pain of _another_ holiday alone; and she was becoming a recipe for disaster.   
  
"I'm sorry. I was mean, I wasn't funny, and you didn't deserve to be teased. Or to be threatened. Or, you know, charged exorbitant prices." She set the woman's change on the table, slowly sliding it towards the blonde. "Its been a rough week, and I kind of snapped at you."   
  
Kara, ever the saint, tilted her head slightly. Her annoyance and bad memories fell away as a person in need of comforting took the place of the rude barista.   
  
"What happend?" Kara asked hesitantly.   
  
"It's.... a long story." Alex replied, shaking her head. She brought her hands up to rub the exhaustion from her eyes, dropping them when the tiredness remained.  
  
Kara smirked at the other woman, giving her a sarcastic look from over the lip of her cup.   
  
"Trust me, we have some time." She said, pointing a finger at the windows.   
  
Alex didn't really have a place to start. She didn't want to start either. The last person she mentioned her feelings to had told her how they had it worse, had recommended she think about how to deal with them, and then went out with her newest date.   
  
_Thanks, mom._ She thought. Still, the blonde woman before her seemed like a far cry from Eliza. She shrugged mentally before leaning back in her chair.  
  
"Well.... my hours got cut, my landlord is trying to kick me out, and the holidays are coming up. It's a lot to deal with, and I'm getting sick of spending every year alone."   
  
Kara thought about reaching her hand out. She knew exactly how difficult being alone could be.   
  
"Why are you alone? Don't you have family?" She asked hesitantly.   
  
Alex shook her head. "No. My dad's dead, my mom's somehow less present than he is; and the three other living relatives are in Canada." She replied.   
  
"Ok, I hate to ask but how is your mom _less_ present than your dad? I feel like being alive automatically puts her in the lead." Kara said, trying her best to keep the somewhat grim topic light.   
  
"God I don't even know where to start...." Alex tilted her head back, looking up at the lights on the far wall.   
  
"My dad died when I was thirteen. We had been super close, and it ended up really doing a number to me. My mom just didn't want to deal with it. She started dating again within the year, refused to talk about it, and won't go near anything that reminds her of him." Alex's tone steadily became more and more bitter as she spoke.   
  
"It sounds like she didn't take it very well."  
  
Alex shot Kara a slightly menacing look. "She was thirty four. I wasn't even in high school."   
  
Kara cringed slightly at that. She did have a point.  
  
"Well, if it makes you feel better; I can kind of sympathize." Kara said.  
  
Alex tilted her head, an exasperated look on her face. Kara knew it pretty well. She'd had the same look anytime someone said something similar to her.   
  
"My parents died in a gas explosion when I was eleven. I haven't celebrated the holidays in the same house for..." She said, scrunching her face in concentration. "...fourteen years. Though I technically have lived in my current apartment complex twice now."  
  
Alex's eyebrows shot up at the revelation. "Oh, I'm... sorry to hear that. To be honest, I was expecting some half assed complaint about daddy not going to all your soccer games."   
  
Kara shook her head as she laughed softly. Alex couldn't help but really enjoy it.   
  
"No. And besides, I was more into the arts than sports. You know; painting, sculpting, that stuff." Kara replied.   
  
"Oh, so you're an artsy nerd." Alex said.   
  
Her voice was picking up the teasing tone from earlier; but it was much more playful now. The bitterness from being forced awake was long gone. She realized that she was actually enjoying the conversation.  
  
_ I must've hit my head on the floor._  
  
Kara's eyes narrowed playfully. "If I'm an artsy nerd, then you must be a dumb jock." She shot back with a smile.   
  
The reaction she got was perfect. Alex jaw dropped as her eyes went wide, only for her teeth to click as she frowned at her. Kara couldn't hold back her laughter as Alex's face screwed up in annoyance. She had to admit, the brunette looked adorable like this.   
  
Alex watched as Kara lifted her cup to her mouth, taking a long drink of the warm liquid. She practically kicked herself as she realized she was staring at the other woman's lips. If the blonde noticed, she didn't give any hint.   
  
"So I'm curious, why did your write rich snob? What made you think I was rich?" Kara asked as she set her drink down.  
  
"I don't know." Alex replied weakly. Things were going moderately not terrible for the past few minutes, and she could already feel them derailing again. "I just... you seemed so cavalier about buying a new phone. That one was three hundred dollars. Do you know how much the 10 is?"   
  
Kara shook her head with a frown, furrowing her eyebrow as she thought about the question. Surely she'd seen a commercial for one of the newest androids.  
  
"Its one thousand dollars. That's more than I made last month." Alex said incredulously.   
  
Kara hadn't really thought about the other woman's situation until that moment. Her parents had so kindly left her a rather large inheritance, which had allowed her to support herself on a part time job through college. She didn't need to work, but did so out of a desire to not be bored.  
  
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't think about it like that," Kara said sheepishly.   
  
"I'm either going to get a new phone, or maybe pay my rent," Alex said in annoyance. Her mood was already souring again.   
  
Kara smiled slowly as an idea came to her. The slowly forming grin made Alex glare at the blonde woman.   
  
"Do you have a car?" Kara asked, as if they hadn't been discussing anything else before hand. The confused look on Alex's face made her heart flutter slightly.   
  
"Yes? Why?"   
  
"Live with me." Kara said. Again, Alex's reaction was exactly what she wanted. Sputtering lips, a lack of words, and an adorably confused brunette was the only response she got.  
  
"I mean, be my room mate. Half your current rent on the condition that you occasionally drive me to a few places." Kara repeated, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.   
  
Alex continued to stare at the woman, completely unbalanced by the new direction in their conversation.   
  
"Look, you said you were going to be kicked out of your current place, right?" Alex nodded in response.   
  
"So, if you drive me to get some art supplies every week or so; you can move into my spare room." Kara said.  
  
"Why do you live in an apartment with a spare room?" Alex asked.  
  
Kara rolled her eyes at the barista. "It's a ten minute walk from campus, with a discount for students, and I was going to have a roommate; but they ended up moving back to their hometown." Kara explained.  
  
"So you invite a stranger in?"   
  
Again Kara rolled her eyes, but with an accompanying exasperated sigh. "_She_ was a stranger too. And it's better than you sleeping outside," Kara said, gesturing towards the blanket of winter.  
  
"I don't even know your name." Alex said, her resistance slowly crumbling. The blonde woman shot her a warm, glowing smile.   
  
"Kara."  
  
Alex glanced at the sea of white outside, thankful that the wind was seemingly dying.   
  
"Fuck it. Why not?" Alex said, standing up to go grab another donut. She figured she'd earned the treat. _And, if my lucky; maybe she'll turn out to be gay._ Alex thought to herself.  
  
Kara smiled as the brunette stood up, heading away from her. Her eyes traced the curved of the woman's legs, and rested on her lightly swaying hips. _Rao, please let her be gay._

* * *


End file.
